Craftsman Drill Press

[ZBear]

Not going to start posting every cl listing I find but this thing is mint and just posted.
$190 for a basically new 150. I've seen several others posted today for under $150.

Ok maybe not mint looks repainted? Just going by the headband. Still nice!


https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/tls/d/craftsmandrill-press/6482441287.html

That is sharp!

 

[slothfryk]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

With the spindle hanging in the downward position, is the return spring shot?

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[Outlawmws]

He might have it locked in position to show how shiny it is...

 

[lafester]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

With the spindle hanging in the downward position, is the return spring shot?

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Guessing he locked it there to show condition. Could also just be old grease.

 

[slothfryk]

He might have it locked in position to show how shiny it is...

As soon as I finished typing I had that thought. Savvy seller. But if he was able to lock it, the handle should be a few degrees of rotation off of the second picture, where it's up. I inspected the photos again and just can't tell. I think your conclusion is likely correct.

If the seller is that knowledgeable, that's the person you want to buy from!

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[ZBear]

I kicked the furnace up yesterday and started with the Rustoleum "Hammered Gold" spray paint. I laid out some plastic on the bench and of course when I rotated the head unit, I touched the plastic. So I have a couple touch ups. The chrome on all the knobs and handles are pretty much pocked up. I saw a gold DP somewhere with all the handles glossy black. I think I will paint them that. I started sanding them and spraying some primer yesterday also. Finally I gave some thought to figure out making a poor man's lathe. I thought I would try to find a rubber drain plus to stick in the column, to no avail. I found a hole saw "blade" that was really close. I sanded it off and tapped it into a snug fit in the column. Poor man's lathe for polishing the column.

 

[ZBear]

I kicked the furnace up yesterday and started with the Rustoleum "Hammered Gold" spray paint. I laid out some plastic on the bench and of course when I rotated the head unit, I touched the plastic. So I have a couple touch ups. The chrome on all the knobs and handles are pretty much pocked up. I saw a gold DP somewhere with all the handles glossy black. I think I will paint them that. I started sanding them and spraying some primer yesterday also. Finally I gave some thought to figure out making a poor man's lathe. I thought I would try to find a rubber drain plus to stick in the column, to no avail. I found a hole saw "blade" that was really close. I sanded it off and tapped it into a snug fit in the column. Poor man's lathe for polishing the column.

I forgot to add a couple pictures of the former bench grinder motor (1725 rpm) that will be used on the DP. The 3450 table saw motor I am going to use for a bench grinder that has a broken base will get taken apart and painted to match. I got another motor from my brother to take off a good base when I get to it.

 

[FrankLee]

I kicked the furnace up yesterday and started with the Rustoleum "Hammered Gold" spray paint. I laid out some plastic on the bench and of course when I rotated the head unit, I touched the plastic. So I have a couple touch ups. The chrome on all the knobs and handles are pretty much pocked up. I saw a gold DP somewhere with all the handles glossy black. I think I will paint them that. I started sanding them and spraying some primer yesterday also. Finally I gave some thought to figure out making a poor man's lathe. I thought I would try to find a rubber drain plus to stick in the column, to no avail. I found a hole saw "blade" that was really close. I sanded it off and tapped it into a snug fit in the column. Poor man's lathe for polishing the column.

I forgot to add a couple pictures of the former bench grinder motor (1725 rpm) that will be used on the DP. The 3450 table saw motor I am going to use for a bench grinder that has a broken base will get taken apart and painted to match. I got another motor from my brother to take off a good base when I get to it.

Your machine is coming along nicely! The motor looks great!

 

[lafester]

Curious how much a restored freestanding 4 speed 150 goes for? Haven't really seen any for sale. I'm thinking around $250 - 300?

I've seen a couple descent ones pop up and the urge to restore one and flip is growing. Seeing all the cool accessories FrankLee has accumulated in the process doesn't help.

 

[FrankLee]

Curious how much a restored freestanding 4 speed 150 goes for? Haven't really seen any for sale. I'm thinking around $250 - 300?

I've seen a couple descent ones pop up and the urge to restore one and flip is growing. Seeing all the cool accessories FrankLee has accumulated in the process doesn't help.

In my area and my experience, that price range is the mid to higher end of the flip market for a reconditioned machine. That is a basic 100/150 dp with original imperfect paint and no special features. Floor standing units will generally fetch a little more than bench units.

As you discovered, parts are greater than the whole. I have several times, but prefer not to part out a good working classic 100 or 150. I don't hesitate on the later machines because many parts are backward compatible.

 

[lafester]

In my area and my experience, that price range is the mid to higher end of the flip market for a reconditioned machine. That is a basic 100/150 dp with original imperfect paint and no special features. Floor standing units will generally fetch a little more than bench units.

As you discovered, parts are greater than the whole. I have several times, but prefer not to part out a good working classic 100 or 150. I don't hesitate on the later machines because many parts are backward compatible.

Yeah as you say it does feel a lot better to fix one up then part it out. If the parts save a couple other machines from being scrapped though in the end that is also a good thing.

The first attempt was a bust... he wanted an offer first and then doubled it and was firm. No way they sell for that etc. Actually sent a second email to continue his rant. Sent him pics of the one I just bought (in better condition) for less then my offer. Oh well on to the next one.

 

[ttpete]

Yeah as you say it does feel a lot better to fix one up then part it out. If the parts save a couple other machines from being scrapped though in the end that is also a good thing.

The first attempt was a bust... he wanted an offer first and then doubled it and was firm. No way they sell for that etc. Actually sent a second email to continue his rant. Sent him pics of the one I just bought (in better condition) for less then my offer. Oh well on to the next one.

I don't do offers. That amounts to putting a price on the seller's merchandise for him. What happened to you was that he thought you were low-balling him, so he doubled the price and sat there.

 

[lafester]

Re: Table Lift, DP #15

Just curious how you are getting along with the atlas table lift. It looks awesome but how does it perform? Does it take a million cranks to raise and lower? How does it compare to the pressmate in that regard? I don't think I read any posts about you ever finding a pressmate though.

8/21/2015:

Head and Table Adjusting Mechanism for Drill Presses and the Like

a.k.a., Table Lift
​

I looked up patent 2260635 for the table lift; actually the formal name is Head and Table Adjusting Mechanism for Drill Presses and the Like. The file date is March 26, 1941.

​

In the patent drawing, the thrust bearing (part #30 in fig 2) is shown installed on the inside of the gear housing and is designed to support the weight of the head frame, if that is to be adjusted. On drill presses equipped with Multi-Speed or Vari-Slo Attachments, the head frame must remain stationary.

My lift is installed such that it will only adjust table height. That is why I have the thrust bearing installed on the outside of the gear housing; so it can support the table weight and make cranking easier. Otherwise, it would serve no purpose.

 

[FrankLee]

Re: Table Lift, DP #15

Just curious how you are getting along with the atlas table lift. It looks awesome but how does it perform? Does it take a million cranks to raise and lower? How does it compare to the pressmate in that regard? I don't think I read any posts about you ever finding a pressmate though.

I like my table lift a lot! I also liked my table counter-balance very much too, but it wouldn't work with the MSA.

The lift works very good. One revolution of the handle moves the table only 1/8", but it's not bad for metal. I think wood boring would be wider range of thicknesses, therefore more cranking.

I had one or two Pressmates, but never used them. They were very good flippers, tho.

 

[lafester]

Re: Table Lift, DP #15

I like my table lift a lot! I also liked my table counter-balance very much too, but it wouldn't work with the MSA.

The lift works very good. One revolution of the handle moves the table only 1/8", but it's not bad for metal. I think wood boring would be wider range of thicknesses, therefore more cranking.

I had one or two Pressmates, but never used them. They were very good flippers, tho.

8 turns per inch doesn't sound unreasonable, and much better then fighting with it manually. I notice your patent plate is on the opposite side of every other pic I have seen.

If all goes well I should have one of these in the near future. Might have a few questions when I rip into it.

 

[FrankLee]

Re: Table Lift, DP #15

8 turns per inch doesn't sound unreasonable, and much better then fighting with it manually. I notice your patent plate is on the opposite side of every other pic I have seen.

If all goes well I should have one of these in the near future. Might have a few questions when I rip into it.

No, it's really not bad at all.

I recently flipt a lift and noticed the label difference too. Maybe I have the left-handed version. LoL!

I'm eager to see yours installed. Today, I made extensive updates to my Table Lift post with much more information. Check it out and let me know if you see any conflicting info after yours arrives.

 

[lafester]

Re: Table Lift, DP #15

No, it's really not bad at all.

I recently flipt a lift and noticed the label difference too. Maybe I have the left-handed version. LoL!

I'm eager to see yours installed. Today, I made extensive updates to my Table Lift post with much more information. Check it out and let me know if you see any conflicting info after yours arrives.

Nicely done as always. There is so little information about these lifts available it is good to get everything documented. I read a post here where they show replacing broken gears (and crank I believe) and where to find replacements. If I can find it again perhaps a link could be added for reference.

I'm still not 100% that mine is coming. The deal has been made but it's been 2 days now with no shipping info. Hopefully they aren't having too much trouble removing it from it's current home.

Found one link. https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146096
Pretty sure there was one more somewhere.

Update:
Looks like mine won't be ready to ship until next week (fingers crossed)
-- Still waiting. Hopefully they are working on it this weekend.

Managed a decent score on ebay. A brand new Pressmate. This is my backup plan... If everything goes well it will be up for sale, if not it will be on my press.

 

[Chicken]

Franklee - I've decided to go about making my own 'speed reducer' setup, utilizing a third pulley. This is for my Atlas 1020 w/ craftsman grinder motor.

In order to do so I must flip the motor pulley from it's current position [currently small diameter is on the bottom, and large diameter is on the bottom of quill side] reference pic 1

My concern is that the way to motor pulley is cast it will not have nearly as much contact with the motor shaft if I simply flip it over. [reference pic 2] Do they make another type of puller for his job? Am I OK to only have the shaft inserted ~1/2 way into the pulley? Any input is appreciated.

Note: This pics are borrowed from another thread on GJ.

 

[FrankLee]

Franklee - I've decided to go about making my own 'speed reducer' setup, utilizing a third pulley. This is for my Atlas 1020 w/ craftsman grinder motor.

In order to do so I must flip the motor pulley from it's current position [currently small diameter is on the bottom, and large diameter is on the bottom of quill side] reference pic 1

My concern is that the way to motor pulley is cast it will not have nearly as much contact with the motor shaft if I simply flip it over. [reference pic 2] Do they make another type of puller for his job? Am I OK to only have the shaft inserted ~1/2 way into the pulley? Any input is appreciated.

Note: This pics are borrowed from another thread on GJ.

I think as long as the set screw is tightening inline onto the motor shaft, you should be ok.

1/2" or 5/8" bore on the pulley? diameter of the shaft?
Are you using a key with the pulley?
Is the pulley spinning true? Any wobble?

Another option is to use a single-step pulley in the size you want, to achieve the speed you want. Then you can raise the motor higher. You don't need to use a cone pulley. Any speed adjustments can be accomplished by adjusting the front belt.

Pictures would help a lot.

 

[Username already in use]

Hoping that you guys can help me figure out what type/era of press this chuck belongs to. I picked this up yesterday at the flea. Marked:
Craftsman (geometric C)
1/2 - 20 THD
5/64 - 1/2 CAP

I have a Craftsman 150 press from the '50s, but that has a Jacobs chuck on it.

 

[FrankLee]

Hoping that you guys can help me figure out what type/era of press this chuck belongs to. I picked this up yesterday at the flea. Marked:
Craftsman (geometric C)
1/2 - 20 THD
5/64 - 1/2 CAP

I have a Craftsman 150 press from the '50s, but that has a Jacobs chuck on it.

I don't think it's too terribly old. Here's one in the 1976 catalog. It's a hand drill replacement chuck. It also fits on a 1/2" grinder shaft.

I have one with the box.

​

 

[Chicken]

I think as long as the set screw is tightening inline onto the motor shaft, you should be ok.

1/2" or 5/8" bore on the pulley? diameter of the shaft?
Are you using a key with the pulley?
Is the pulley spinning true? Any wobble?

Another option is to use a single-step pulley in the size you want, to achieve the speed you want. Then you can raise the motor higher. You don't need to use a cone pulley. Any speed adjustments can be accomplished by adjusting the front belt.

Pictures would help a lot.

It is a 1/2" shaft/pulley bore. No key way, the shaft has a flat on it.

I haven't run it upside down yet, just noticed the issue while I was mocking things up yesterday. I will have to report back and get some pictures.

The single pulley is a simple solution, and likely will allow for all the speed adjustment I need. However one downside, is that it becomes more difficult [time consuming] to change speed this way, since adjusting my new third pulley is not a quick/on the fly type adjustment. Tools are required and I change speeds often depending on drill bit size.

 

[Outlawmws]

Chicken, if the pulley is really stuck on there (and make sure it's not using doubled up stacked set screws first...), here is what one innovative lady did about 4 years ago - start at post 946:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99225&page=47

 

[Username already in use]

I don't think it's too terribly old. It's a hand drill replacement chuck. It also fits on a 1/2" grinder shaft.

Thanks! I thought it would have been older.

 

[FrankLee]

Thanks! I thought it would have been older.

Some of the older Craftsman 12-1/4" drill presses have a threaded-on keyless chuck. This chuck would be a good replacement for those and perhaps those older hand-crank braces.

​

 

[lafester]

Hey guys there is a a nice looking multi speed pulley on ebay for $170 obo with reasonable shipping. Even comes with two used belts.

I'm surprised it hasn't sold yet.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Cr...m=132514700269&_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042

 

[lafester]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

Oh look what just arrived at my door. Still waiting on the atlas lift so I might just have to make sure this one works properly.

 

[FrankLee]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

Hey guys there is a a nice looking multi speed pulley on ebay for $170 obo with reasonable shipping. Even comes with two used belts.

I'm surprised it hasn't sold yet.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Cr...m=132514700269&_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042

It sold late this afternoon with best offer. I'm surprised it was buy-it-now. Auctions usually do much better on these. Or maybe demand is not what it used to be.

Oh look what just arrived at my door. Still waiting on the atlas lift so I might just have to make sure this one works properly.

Nice!

 

[lafester]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

It sold late this afternoon with best offer. I'm surprised it was buy-it-now. Auctions usually do much better on these. Or maybe demand is not what it used to be.





Nice!

Looks like it stayed close to home. Auction was from San Jose and it started life in Santa Cruz. There's also an empty plastic packing list sleeve so it must have been an in store special order.

Ha that store is still open.. nice.

 

[ZBear]

My DP has been driving me crazy. Not actually the DP but my foot. I can't go out to work on it. Two weeks ago today my friend Nathan came over and cleaned the snow in my driveway. When he was done I had him come down to the bike shed so I could show him my DP. While we were sitting there my right ankle and calf started hurting like I had a broken ankle. I hadn't done anything so it was a mystery. Since then I have been to my foot surgeon a couple times. Initially he wanted me to go to the ER and have an MRI. I told him I couldn't go to the bathroom without my walker. They did six X-rays didn't find anything related or unrelated to the amputations. The 1st Sunday was a killer. I try not to take any opiates. Sometimes I have to chop a hydrocodone into 1/4ths or 1/2s at bedtime so the pain subsides enough I can fall asleep. That Sunday I had two halves in the night and 4 whole ones during the day. Pain was as bad as it was when they were chopping off pieces of my foot. Still not great. He gave me an "addict" sized prescription for Hydrocodone this week. I hate taking them but often no choice. I never understood why people steal them or get addicted to them. They don't do much for me. I have been taking opiates for nearly five years off and on and I don't crave them at all. But, I only take them when I need to. So I am on the shelf, actually in the recliner all day. I am in withdrawal to go out and finish my DP. One of these days.

The purpose of this message I put an ad on CL a while back for a DP in any shape. I had someone answer me yesterday about an hour away that has a floor model 150. He didn't give me a price but said he would let it go if he had something to replace it with. I replied I have a HF 8" if he was interested in taking that on trade or send me some pictures. If the headband and spindle pulley are good, I would just switch them out, clean it up and try to recoup my money. Maybe I will get lucky. I WANT TO WORK ON MY DP!!! Bear

 

[Outlawmws]

Holy cow Zbear! I hope that foot gets better soon, and I hope the deal works out for you!

 

[FrankLee]

My DP has been driving me crazy. Not actually the DP but my foot. I can't go out to work on it. Two weeks ago today my friend Nathan came over and cleaned the snow in my driveway. When he was done I had him come down to the bike shed so I could show him my DP. While we were sitting there my right ankle and calf started hurting like I had a broken ankle. I hadn't done anything so it was a mystery. Since then I have been to my foot surgeon a couple times. Initially he wanted me to go to the ER and have an MRI. I told him I couldn't go to the bathroom without my walker. They did six X-rays didn't find anything related or unrelated to the amputations. The 1st Sunday was a killer. I try not to take any opiates. Sometimes I have to chop a hydrocodone into 1/4ths or 1/2s at bedtime so the pain subsides enough I can fall asleep. That Sunday I had two halves in the night and 4 whole ones during the day. Pain was as bad as it was when they were chopping off pieces of my foot. Still not great. He gave me an "addict" sized prescription for Hydrocodone this week. I hate taking them but often no choice. I never understood why people steal them or get addicted to them. They don't do much for me. I have been taking opiates for nearly five years off and on and I don't crave them at all. But, I only take them when I need to. So I am on the shelf, actually in the recliner all day. I am in withdrawal to go out and finish my DP. One of these days.

The purpose of this message I put an ad on CL a while back for a DP in any shape. I had someone answer me yesterday about an hour away that has a floor model 150. He didn't give me a price but said he would let it go if he had something to replace it with. I replied I have a HF 8" if he was interested in taking that on trade or send me some pictures. If the headband and spindle pulley are good, I would just switch them out, clean it up and try to recoup my money. Maybe I will get lucky. I WANT TO WORK ON MY DP!!! Bear

Sorry about your troubles, Bear. A 3:04 am est posting time shows your not getting sleep. I wish you well and hope you can get back to the shop soon.

 

[lafester]

Looking to at least replace the bearings on this old long c motor. I've read FrankLee's rebuild guide but it doesn't really cover what kind of bearings to get or how to measure them. Also hopeful someone knows exactly what size this motor should run. This motor is remarkably similar to the one in the guide but older.

I scavenged a temporary cord and fired it up today. It doesn't sound bad but the bearings are open and covered in sticky ancient grease. I cleaned them out a little and put in some new grease but I think at this point they should just go.

Oh and the og cord is in pretty good shape it just had a break a couple feet out from the motor. Do these old cords have any value to people who go for a period correct restoration? Just hate to toss something that someone might need. Its an emerson electric cord with very fragile cloth insulation.

 

[ttpete]

Looking to at least replace the bearings on this old long c motor. I've read FrankLee's rebuild guide but it doesn't really cover what kind of bearings to get or how to measure them. Also hopeful someone knows exactly what size this motor should run. This motor is remarkably similar to the one in the guide but older.

I scavenged a temporary cord and fired it up today. It doesn't sound bad but the bearings are open and covered in sticky ancient grease. I cleaned them out a little and put in some new grease but I think at this point they should just go.

Take the bearings when you go to buy new ones. Some of the older units used inch size bearings instead of metric. Try to get sealed bearings.

 

[FrankLee]

Looking to at least replace the bearings on this old long c motor. I've read FrankLee's rebuild guide but it doesn't really cover what kind of bearings to get or how to measure them. Also hopeful someone knows exactly what size this motor should run. This motor is remarkably similar to the one in the guide but older.

I scavenged a temporary cord and fired it up today. It doesn't sound bad but the bearings are open and covered in sticky ancient grease. I cleaned them out a little and put in some new grease but I think at this point they should just go.

Oh and the og cord is in pretty good shape it just had a break a couple feet out from the motor. Do these old cords have any value to people who go for a period correct restoration? Just hate to toss something that someone might need. Its an emerson electric cord with very fragile cloth insulation.

I always toss the original two wire cords and replace with a grounded cord. I usually get the 14/3 power tool replacement cord at HD.

Bearing sizes vary widely in these old Craftsman motors. There is a VM wiki page with bearing replacements for many Craftsman machines and motors based on model number. It may not be a complete list, tho.

Most times, the original bearing number is stamped on the edge of the inner or outer race, or on the shield of shielded bearings.

ttpete's suggestion is right on when buying locally. If buying online, you'll need to measure bore, od, and width.

 

[lafester]

Thanks guys. I mounted the motor on the press to test it out and it ran fine but then when I shut it off it tripped the breaker. Didn't do that on any of my other tests so not sure what is up. Its kind of a rats nest in there with two small capacitors and ancient wiring all stuffed into the base. I was pretty surprised it ran at all.

update: it's not a circuit so there must be a bad connection to the outlet before it in the chain. Of course that one outlet feeds into the house so I'll have to figure out which one it is. Did some more testing on another circuit and everything seems to be working great so I'll keep this one as my new dp motor to be eventually rebuilt and painted.

I have to change everything up so I can have the 3/4 hp that came with the multi tool set to use with my new sander. The dayton 1/2 hp will move over to the combo set... probably a little weak for a saw but at least it's a great condition modern motor. If it tests bad then I'll just sell the damn thing without one.

update: looks like the somebody wired a gfci switch wrong and it follows down the chain. That ancient motor is doing great so far.

 

[lafester]

I have another motor question. I got a Craftsman 1/2 hp 3400 rpm and it starts slow and takes a couple 'clicks' from the capacitor before it gets up to speed. This is powering my 4" delta jointer. I don't mind the slow start, just wondering if it is normal. I don't have any other high rpm motors to compare it to.

 

[FrankLee]

I have another motor question. I got a Craftsman 1/2 hp 3400 rpm and it starts slow and takes a couple 'clicks' from the capacitor before it gets up to speed. This is powering my 4" delta jointer. I don't mind the slow start, just wondering if it is normal. I don't have any other high rpm motors to compare it to.

There are no moving parts in the capacitor. The clicks are likely from the centrifugal switch. That is not normal.

It sounds like the capacitor is weak and it's not getting the motor up to enough speed to keep open the centrifugal switch.

Or, as exmaxima1 mentioned in another thread, the switch is dirty.

Or, there is too much load on the motor... bad motor bearings, bad knife head arbor bearings, etc. Remove the belt and spin the motor and knife head by hand to check resistance.

Also, check the cent switch springs there should be two springs.

 

[lafester]

There are no moving parts in the capacitor. The clicks are likely from the centrifugal switch. That is not normal.

It sounds like the capacitor is weak and it's not getting the motor up to enough speed to keep open the centrifugal switch.

Or, as exmaxima1 mentioned in another thread, the switch is dirty.

Or, there is too much load on the motor... bad motor bearings, bad knife head arbor bearings, etc. Remove the belt and spin the motor and knife head by hand to check resistance.

Also, check the cent switch springs there should be two springs.

Thanks... after doing some testing it would fire up normally once it warmed up a bit. But then one of the bearings started making noise so I had to stop for the night. Now to rip it apart to see what the deal is there.

Everything seemed to spin nicely and easily before testing but obviously something is wrong. I guess with no pressure on the bearing it spun fine but then under belt tension it probably bound up a little.

Should add while it was running (before the noise started) the motor seemed to have plenty of power for the 10 or so passes of edge jointing I tried.

 

[lafester]

Re: The Classic Craftsman 100/150 Drill Press

Just pulled it and the the pulley side bearing is bad.

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